Alessandro nodded. ‘That would be most suitable.’ He delved into his pocket and handed her a card. ‘My number.’
She took it hesitantly, their fingers brushing, and even though she was regarding him with supreme irritation he saw the flare in her pupils at the touch and wondered if she felt a corresponding thrum in her blood as he did.
He thought maybe she had because she withdrew quickly and said, ‘This is purely business. Nothing but convenience.’
Alessandro didn’t have to ask her to explain. He got the subtext loud and clear. Her husky voice, the slight tremble in her fingertips, the brief widening of her eyes. Yeah, she’d felt it. He bowed slightly. ‘Of course.’
He opened his mouth to elaborate further, to assure her as he had already done prior, that her virtue was safe, but Julian joined them and Alessandro nodded at her briefly, said, ‘Until tomorrow,’ and bade her goodbye.
6
Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, her hair pulled back into a pony tail, Nat pushed the doorbell to the enormous house on a Saturday morning that was already proving to be another scorcher. Her ponytail swished as a warm breeze whipped through the shady portico. Her fingers tapped against her leg in trepidation so she forced herself to concentrate on the wind’s caress instead.
The door flung open and Julian stood there, his curls bouncing slightly as his body vibrated with what she could only describe as excitement.
Or the nearest thing she’d ever seen in this little boy.
‘Nat!’ he exclaimed. His dark eyes, so like his father’s, literally sparkled as he shifted from foot to foot. ‘Papa told me this morning you’re coming to live here.’
Nat couldn’t help but be infected by his barely suppressed enthusiasm. ‘Just until my house is finished, matey.’
He grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. ‘I hope it takes a really long time,’ he declared.
‘Gee, thanks.’ Nat laughed as a cloud of cool air enveloped her, instantly dispelling the heat and stroking her exposed armsand legs with icy fingers. She looked up and saw the recessed vent in the ceiling. Ducted air conditioning. She closed her eyes against the pleasure.
Bliss – instant bliss.
Her eyes fluttered open as Julian again tugged at her hand and she looked around at the large entrance area dominated by white walls, white tiles, white carpet and a large white staircase. She could see boxes left and right in her peripheral vision.
‘Come on. I’ll show you my room. You’re right next door.’
‘Julian.’
Julian dropped her hand as Nat glanced up to find Alessandro lounging in a doorway directly to her left, a mug in hand. He was wearing a snug white T-shirt that emphasised the rich golden colour of his skin and every muscle in his chest. His trendy khaki cargo-style shorts rode low on his hips. His feet were bare.
The man had a rumpled look about him, his hair tousled, his jaw unshaven. He looked like he hadn’t slept very much, and that she could relate to. She’d been awake half the night regretting her decision. He held her gaze through thick dark lashes and a rush of warmth invaded places that not even the air conditioning could cool down.
‘Don’t crowd Nathalie.’
She opened her mouth to tell him not to call her that. She couldn’t live under his roof if he was going to caress her name with his lips like that. But she saw Julian’s excitement ebb and decided to drop it. For now.
‘I would love to see your room. Then I have a surprise for you.’
Julian smiled at her and grabbed her hand again, pulling her towards the ugly monolith that passed for a staircase. She could feel Alessandro’s eyes on her as they ascended and forced herself to walk, not run.
Nat couldn’t believe the clinical wasteland Julian and Alessandro lived in. It was all white – everywhere she looked – and littered with unpacked boxes. Most of the five upstairs bedrooms, two lounge areas and what she presumed was a study were practically bare – except for a few essential pieces of furniture and, of course, the ever-present boxes.
Julian’s room wasn’t much better. Just a bed, a bedside table with a lamp, and a couple of books spread on the floor. There was no colour, no bright quilt or curtains. In fact, there hadn’t even been any curtains hung at all. Which made the white of the room even starker as the bright sunlight pushed through the glass.
Maybe Alessandro’s wife had been one of those minimalist freaks.
She must have betrayed her feelings because Julian said, ‘Papa’s been very busy.’
Nat’s heart nearly broke at the defensive tone and his worried frown. She gave him a bright smile. ‘That’s okay. I’m here now. I can help with that stuff.’
Julian brightened. ‘Your room is next door.’
They went in and she plastered a huge smile on her face as Julian looked at her for any signs of dislike. The room, like Julian’s, had a bed and a bedside table. No curtains. But it did have a vent in the middle of the ceiling and it was blissfully cool. ‘It’s perfect,’ she declared.
